The Financial Times today announces the appointment of Roula Khalaf as foreign editor and assistant editor, effective October 15. With 13 years experience as the FT’s Middle East editor, Khalaf takes on this new strategic role to support the FT and its global network of foreign correspondents.

Financial Times editor Lionel Barber said: “Roula has been an outstanding Middle East editor for more than a decade, overseeing the launch of the Middle East edition and leading our coverage of the Arab spring. She is admired among peers and colleagues worldwide for her work as a reporter, commentator and team leader, and will be crucial to the development of our award-winning foreign coverage in her new position.”

Khalaf joined the FT in 1995 as North Africa correspondent and before that she was a staff writer for Forbes magazine in New York. Her specialist areas are Iraq, where she has travelled extensively; the Gulf; North Africa and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

About the Financial Times

The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing essential news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community, the FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of more than 600,000 (Deloitte assured, Q2 2013). Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving more than a third of FT.com traffic and a quarter of digital subscriptions. FT education products now serve 25 of the world’s top 50 business schools.